1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a method and system for sorting online advertisements. More specifically, the present invention is directed to a method and system for sorting online advertisements that allows users to identify advertisements from known or trusted parties.
2. Background Discussion
The Internet is an exciting tool that not only puts vast information at consumer's fingertips, but expands shopping options. With only a few clicks of a mouse, one can go online to buy just about anything—from airline tickets to rare antiques. The Internet has spawned a new type of commerce, electronic commerce (or e-commerce).
Whether buying direct from a business, an individual, or an Internet auction, shopping online can be fun, easy, practical, and economical. But, just as in the “bricks and mortar” world, the Internet shopping experience can be marred by unscrupulous dealers constantly devising new ways to deceive consumers out of their money.
Buyers and participants in online commercial transactions can reduce their financial risk when shopping on the Internet by not using wire transfers to pay for goods. If one wires money to buy an item from an Internet shopping site—either through a money transmitter or directly to a seller's bank account—and something goes wrong, it is very likely that the consumer will lose his payment and have no recourse. Although wire transfers are not appropriate when doing business with a stranger, they can be useful to send funds to a known or trusted party. Being able to identify those advertisements that are posted by known or trusted buyers and sellers therefore remains a central concern of all those who engage in e-commerce.
Another Internet scam, commonly referred to as “phishing” involves Internet criminals who send spam or pop-up messages to lure personal information (credit card numbers, bank account information, Social Security numbers, passwords, or other sensitive information) from unsuspecting victims. “Phishers” send an email or pop-up message that claims to be from a known or trusted individual, business, or organization that one may have dealt with in the past (e.g., an online merchant, an Internet service provider (ISP), bank, online payment service, or government agency). The message may ask the consumer to “update,” “validate,” or “confirm” his account information. The sole purpose of such a scheme is to facilitate identify theft. Although steps may be taken to minimize the risk posed by phishers (e.g., deleting random emails that ask a user to confirm or divulge financial information upon receipt), the only true way to protect against fraudulent merchants is to know or trust the party with whom one is dealing.
Check overpayment scams may also be used to defraud unsuspecting sellers. This scam starts when a stranger responds to a seller's posting or advertisement, and offers to use a cashier's check, personal check, or corporate check to pay for the item being sold. A posting is any announcement (e.g., an advertisement, an offer, a message, etc.) sent to and displayed on an electronic message board. At the last minute, the so-called buyer comes up with a reason for writing the check for more than the purchase price, and asks the seller to wire back the difference after the check is deposited. After the check has been deposited and the funds wired back to the “buyer,” the check bounces, leaving the seller liable for the entire amount.
Online merchants and Internet auction sites offer buyers a “virtual” flea market of new and used merchandise from around the world and give sellers a global storefront from which to market their goods. But with added convenience comes added risk. Conducting business over the Internet causes many users to become frustrated with the current e-commerce business model. Most complaints by users generally deal with late shipments, no shipments, shipments of products that are not the same quality as advertised, sham online payment or escrow services, and fraudulent dealers who lure bidders from legitimate sites with seemingly better deals. Furthermore, many users complain of seller misconduct, but in some cases, the buyers are targeted.
Therefore, it would be an advancement in the state of the art to provide a method and a system for sorting online advertisements into categories that will enable users to identify known or trusted parties.